Nikko

NIKKO
The day after Disney our family traveled to Nikko for the weekend. We took an express train from Asakusa and Alex thrilled some older Japanese ladies by showing them how to turn their seats to face each other. When we arrived, we traveled up 20 curves to Lake Chuzen-ji to see the Kegon waterfalls. The falls were quite impressive and we managed to dodge the usual crowds due to the lateness of our arrival. We also saw the sun set over the lake which was stunning.

We were only able to do this trip due to the generosity of a couple with a weekend home in Nikko. They were incredibly kind and not only let us stay but also took us on a tour of the local world heritage site and to an amazing Japanese restaurant that has been in one family for 19 generations. The leaves were at peak and Nikko is one of the few places we have been that has not been ruined by too many people or concrete. Even though the shrines of the heritage site were crowded, the town itself was not built up. The scenery was fantastic with huge trees and a sense of history due to the vegetation that is lacking even in Kyoto. We were also able to observe part of a Shinto wedding and see many fabulous kimonos. Because of the 3-5-7 festival for blessing children, the head priest was very busy but he still took the time to sign Alex and Caroline’s goshuincho – seal books –yet another gift from our host.

We returned to Tokyo just in time to welcome Jonathan’s mom in from Thailand. She arrived very tired but in good spirits. The next couple of days were celebrated with many dinners and food shared with new and old friends. As usual it was difficult to keep up with Esther but we were able to show her some parts of Tokyo that she had not seen before and she left wiser and impressed with the service and cleanliness of this huge city.